Weather Wimp? (Read 699 times)

I'm a morning runner and want to run 7 miles today for my long (to me!) run, but the temp right now is 32 with a wind chill of 22. I nearly froze my @$$ off just trotting down the front walk to get the paper.
I don't want to skip my run today, but there's no way I can handle these temps, especially the wind. Would I be better off waiting until this afternoon (2ish) or just hitting the eliptical and forget going outside. Us Memphians can't take this cold!
Thanks, Robin

I went out for a 10-mile run and it was 30F. I don't know what the wind chill was. I wore shorts, 2 long-sleeved tech shirts, a headband that covered my ears and gloves.
I was fine EXCEPT for my fingers. When I got home I couldn't move them. I had to warm them up on the stove top. I have to find much better gloves. The ones I were were Asics fleece gloves.
I'll tell you that once you get going, it feels great knowing that you are they running while others are in bed or skipping their run. I'm a bit competitive :-)

2-ish will be warmer... but it's only better for running if you actually get out there at that time and RUN! Otherwise, it's just an excuse.
Dress in layers, ask Santa for some winter weather running clothes, and dont' forget that exercise warms you up! You can do the elliptical trainer, but you have to ask yourself... what are you going to do for the rest of the winter? Do you want to run at all this winter? If so, better take the plunge and just DO IT!
Use the tricks suggested on another thread - get dressed, make it to the corner, make it just to the next corner. And then the next one. And then the next one.
Oh. And if you can swing it, get someone to start making you a cup of hot cider the second you get home...

Bow your head in shame. No wimps allowed.
Fat runners, slow runners, and old runners are encouraged. And they're everywhere. Like locusts. Like Paris Hilton. Can't avoid us.
But wimpy? Oh, no. Go. Run. Wuss. You'll be proud of yourself later.
Us Nashvillians are going running. Wind chill is 25 here, and I'm dragging the woman with me. But maybe all the wimps are in Memphis?
(Let's see if shameless psychological manipulation gets her out the door ... )

I HATE wind...so I hear you on wind chills. It was a little above freezing when I ran yesterday, but in gusts of 25mph or so, so I imagine the wind chill was in the 20s. I was so busy watching my step on lots of slush and ice that I wasn't as aware of the cold, though.
Definitely get the right clothing (yesterday I did OK with a wicking top and a medium-weight polartech jacket with polartech stretch pants. And SmartWool socks are the most awesome invention EVER!). Also wear sunglasses to protect your eyes.
Once you get moving it's really not too bad. And you'll burn more calories running in the Winter, since your body has to work so much harder to stay warm--after all, a calorie is a measure of heat.
k

'16 Goals:

• Do some dus...and some CX...and some tandem gravel...and some podiums...

• PRs

• 130#s (or less)

• Stop letting my core go to hell

vicentefrijole

posted: 12/3/2006 at 12:18 PM

Cold running survival (from a Wisconsin native):
1) Wear layers, so you can take stuff off when you get too hot (already mentioned by Wingz, but it bears repeating)
2) Keep your hands, ears, and neck very warm (for me, if these are covered, everything else is fine... sounds like derek would agree). Fleece is great until you're below freezing or in a wind.. then it's worthless.
3) Minimize exposure to wind (why run along the lake when you can run through some trees?). Cold is one thing, but an ice-cream headache from running into a cold wind is unbearable.
4) Make repeated shorter loops (not one big one) so you're always a close to shelter. Or bring money for a cab or (gasp) even a cell phone? Nothing worse (or more dangerous) than cramping up at mile 5 of your 10 loop and having to walk 5 miles home in the cold (been there).
5) Don't panic. After a few miles you won't feel a thing!

vicentefrijole

posted: 12/3/2006 at 12:20 PM

Oooh.. just thought of one more really hard-core tip (for extremely cold conditions)! If you're getting wind-burned/chapped skin all over your cheeks, spread vaseline on them before your run! Sounds nasty, but it really does the trick!

It's downright hot out there, if you've got the same beautiful clear azure sky and friendly sun in Memphis that we've got here today. Running straight into that wind was a bit face numbing at first, but after the turn-around I actually got too warm, even in shorts. Had to lose the hat.
And that was running at my better-(but-still-slower)-half's pace.
Go run, wus.
P.S. Nice job on the 5-k, by the way. What did I call our bet? Oh. Right. "Candy from a baby." Should I say I told you so now, or do I really have to wait a whole year? Want to make it interesting and change sub-30 to sub-28?

Gotta have the right clothes. I hit Dick's last week and picked up a Goretex Fleece jacket that's perfect for this weather. Today was 25 degrees with a windchill of 14. I was all toasty warm in my nifty new jacket, my Underarmour Coldgear tights and my fleece gloves.
Teresa

OK. I did it. I took my wimp hat off and went out there. And hey, it wasn't that bad out there. The first two miles were tough, and there were times that it felt like I wasn't moving forward because of the wind, but all and all, it was a good run.
Robin

OK. I did it. I took my wimp hat off and went out there. And hey, it wasn't that bad out there. The first two miles were tough, and there were times that it felt like I wasn't moving forward because of the wind, but all and all, it was a good run.
Robin

Okay, now log that in the memory bank and pull it out next time you're tempted to use the weather as an excuse...

Congrats on not wimping out & braving the cold!!
The wind chill was 8degrees here today. I had too much homework to do, so I couldn't run. I'm running tomorrow, cold, homework & potential death by muzzleloader aside!!!